The Sweetest Valentine for a Working Mom

My husband apologized to me this morning for not getting me an “Every Kiss Begins with Kay” type of Valentine’s Day gift this year. No heart-shaped diamond jewelry (thank God!), no straight-to-my-hips box of chocolates, no overpriced bouquet of flowers.

But what he didn’t realize is that I don’t need any of that. Our gift to each other was a warm house. We paid to have the furnace fixed last weekend, when it was 10 degrees outside, and inside our baby girl was quickly turning into a Popsicle—until we retreated to Grandma and Grandpa’s house for the day.

His special Valentine to me—though he didn’t see it that way—was scraping the ice and snow off my car and shoveling the walkway this morning (and yesterday morning) so I could go to work. What a man, what a man, what a mighty good man!

And his gift to me every day of the year is taking excellent, loving care of our daughter during the day while I’m at the office—all the while working his own job and earning a paycheck to help support our family. I can’t imagine a sweeter way to tell your wife and mother of your child how much you love her. That’s a real Valentine for a working mom.

Other romantic gestures or gifts I would happily accept include:

• A night off from the bedtime routine
• A weekend morning to sleep in
• A homemade dinner on the table and a full glass of wine as I walk in the door after a long day at work
• Taking my car for a surprise (and overdue) oil change/tire rotation
• Planning a fun date night for us—including arranging for the sitter
• A massage, pedicure, manicure—any form of salon treatment, really
• A simple list of the reasons you love me (always a nice reminder of why we got together in the first place)

While expensive, elaborate gifts are not expected or required, I do think there are some gifts that are so wrong, you’d be better off doing nothing at all. Some of the absolute worst Valentine’s gift ideas:

• Fake flowers
• Sugar-free or fat-free candy. Just … no.
• Self-help book
• Any household cleaning appliance
• Gym membership
• Fast-food combo meal
• Spanx
• Lottery tickets
• Ill-fitting lingerie

And if you’re sweet enough to give her a handmade card or even a handwritten note, here are a few famous quotes about love and romance she might appreciate:

“If you can make a girl laugh, you can make her do anything.” – Marilyn Monroe

“Don’t forget to love yourself.” – Soren Kirkegaard

“The greatest happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved; loved for ourselves, or rather, loved in spite of ourselves.” — Victor Hugo

“To love is nothing. To be loved is something. But to love and be loved, that’s everything.” — T. Tolis

“You don’t love someone for their looks, or their clothes, or for their fancy car, but because they sing a song only you can hear.” — Oscar Wilde

So what did your sweeties do or get for you today? Or are you in the “Valentine’s Day is a Hallmark holiday” camp? Do tell.